Mark Begich on Free Trade

Democratic Jr Senator

Capitalize on our assets in the global economy

I was reminded of Anchorage’s huge potential as a global player a couple of weeks ago when I met with a group of international journalists. They regularly enlist me in these visits as the Anchorage cheerleader.

Before we could even sit down, one of the
visiting Chinese journalists was giving me the Anchorage sales pitch. In flawless English, he was bragging about Anchorage’s tourist attractions, talking about Alaska’s proximity to Asia, telling me about all the wealthy new Chinese entrepreneurs looking
for a place like Anchorage to invest.

I believe Anchorage is enormously well positioned to capitalize on our assets in the global economy. We’re already doing a lot of things right. Our airport is one of our city’s chief economic engines, handling 650
international wide-body cargo landings a week. And the World Trade Center Alaska works to connect foreign markets with potential Alaska suppliers. These efforts and many more helped push Alaska’s exports to the highest level ever last year: $4 billion.

Ratings by USA*Engage indicate support for trade engagement or trade sanctions. The organization's self-description: "USA*Engage is concerned about the proliferation of unilateral foreign policy sanctions at the federal, state and local level. Despite the fact that broad trade-based unilateral sanctions rarely achieve our foreign policy goals, they continue to have political appeal. Unilateral sanctions give the impression that the United States is 'doing something,' while American workers, farmers and businesses absorb the costs."

USA*Engage at Work

Developing the Case: USA*Engage explains the benefits of economic engagement, and the high cost of sanctions for American exports, investment and jobs.

Education: We recruit respected foreign policy and economic experts to speak out against sanctions, actively engage the media and provide outreach to key target states and Congressional districts.

Contacting Government Officials: USA*Engage directly contacts Congressional, Administration, state and local officials.